Hi people, I'm finally here with an update. 1SuperKawaii, rukiharem, rollmodel, epic unicorns, zangetsuichigo, royalaces21, lemonorangevanilladrops, evyk, lifescape, IcePrincess95, obsessed dreamer and Nathalie Shiffer, thank you all for the reviews and support. Thanks to those who added this to theiralert list and fave story too! You all sure now how to make a newcomer feel welcomed! I just hope I don't disappoint...! Bonus points for rukiharem and epic unicorns to guess I took inspiration from VK. Although I've added my own twists, you'll see. royalaces21, apologies if my version of Grimmjow is a bit... well grim =p It's an honour that you compare me to evenstar lady but I'm no way near her high level of standards! I'm a big follower of her works too! Special thanks to Nathalie Shiffer for making me your fave author. You rendered me speechless... But I'm afraid I can't answer your questions because I don't want to ruin the surprise. Don't hate me for it =p

Anyways, on with the chapter. I forgot to mention it's a bit OOC as it's an AU but I'll try not to overdo it

Will this quench your thirst?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters

Coalition Order

Ulquiorra walked inside the Assembly Hall with Renji closely behind him. It was an impressively big but odd room. Strangely, there were no windows and no seats. A few little chandeliers scattered on the sides but no lighting at the centre of the room giving it an overall moody atmosphere. The walls were painted dark maroon just as all other rooms were. Despite the vast space, the walls were left bare. No sculptures, no paintings, no ornaments, no nothing. There was a black and white chequered floor like a chest board but at a diagonal angle. At the far end of the room was their King Aizen who sat on the only seat in the hall.

'Glad you finally decided to turn up, Ulquiorra.'

Grimmjow's voice was filled with spite determined to pay him back for inflicting pain on him moments ago. However, Ulquiorra walked on to stand next to Byakuya, totally ignoring Grimmjow in the process.

'Renji, what happened to your face?' Byakuya noticed the swelling on one of his eyes. The slight cut on his lip was not bleeding but it definitely smelt fresh.

'Eh...'

'Yeah, Renji, what did happen to your face?' Grimmjow's eyes bored into Renji's. It was asked with a hint of threat instantly making him feel small.

'I err... I tripped,' he meekly offered.

Renji knew his place. It wasn't like Grimmjow would get punished especially not over something so trivial. Grimmjow was a pureblood whilst he was only a mixed-blood. Mixed-bloods were often bullied. Only a rare few purebloods pitied them. When a pureblood turns a human into a vampire they create a mixed-blood. Their blood is contaminated and so will be their next generation. They lacked half the power of a pureblood. As a result, they lacked half the respect too and were often given minuscule or even degrading jobs to do. This was why many purebloods refrained from drinking from mixed-bloods.

'You should be more careful of where you tread, mixed-blood.' Grimmjow absolutely hated mixed-bloods. However, there was a little part of him were glad as it meant they were shunned and not him who was an inferior pureblood.

Renji simply nodded. If he made a fuss Grimmjow would make sure he'd sooner regret it.

'Aizen-sama,' Renji closed his eyes and bowed to his master, 'I have brought you all our male purebloods as you requested.'

'Much appreciated, Renji.' Aizen spoke coolly.

The most powerful pureblood to date was holding his face in his palm as he leant slightly to the right in his throne. There was a faint smile on his face but it didn't necessarily mean he was in a good mood. He commanded so much fear throughout the vampire population no one dared to cross him.

'Your services are no longer needed for now. You may take your leave, Renji.'

'Yes, Aizen-sama.' Renji bowed again before closing the double doors behind him.

'Aizen-sama, has something occurred for you to call upon us so urgently?' Ulquiorra asked.

The King looked over to his most trusted advisor who held his usual placid exterior. Ulquiorra Cifer was obedient and incredibly powerful. In addition, he was an extremely clever subordinate; maybe even too clever for his own good...

'As you are already aware of, this war against the humans has taken its toll on our numbers. The most recent example, of course, was our late brother, Shiba Kaien. He will be greatly missed.'

Byakuya twitched at the sound of the name. He and Kaien didn't see eye to eye for some reason. Even so, Byakuya was sad to lose such a valuable pureblood. It was such a sudden loss.

'We simply can't risk any more casualties,' Aizen continued. 'As an insurance policy I have decided to issue the Coalition Order.'

'The what order?' Grimmjow interrupted without thinking. Aizen hated repeating himself. He spared no time for ignorants.

'As male purebloods you must find a soul mate and produce an heir within these 2 years.'

After the death of Kaien, there were only 9 purebloods left. Many had died along the way, killed by humans or even by fellow vampires. If you drank from a pureblood you were able to withdraw great powers too. This was all too tempting for some. Some purebloods went missing. They either ran away but more likely were also killed. Aizen noticed the decrease in numbers and had to manage it before the entire pureblood population died out.

The Coalition Order came to a shock to all the male purebloods. Even the most stoic Byakuya and Ulquiorra couldn't stop the emotions swimming in their eyes. For a brief moment they looked at one another yet with the same expressionless face.

Soul mate...

Grimmjow furrowed his eyebrows. 'That's ridiculous! You're seriously saying you're going to force us to-'

'It is to boost the pureblood blood population. If it dies out we will then have to feed on inferior vampires or perhaps... humans.'

Aizen chose his words correctly. He knew how much purebloods hated mixed-bloods and humans. Under no circumstance would purebloods willingly feed on their blood. The silence brought a smile to Aizen's face. Everyone always succumbed to his wishes eventually.

Ulquiorra noticed a slight smirk seeping through Aizen's smile. He wasn't simply pleased. There seemed to be a hint of conspiracy behind it. This is to boost our population? Is that really your true intentions?

'I'm not asking you to marry them, of course. I would just like an heir, male or female, I don't care which.'

Soul mate...

Beside the pond, Byakuya stood alone. Clear waters glistened from the sunlight skimming across the surface. Golden dragonflies buzzed around the jungle of lily pads and reeds. Occasionally groups of koi would spring from underneath and put on a little dance show.

It was so lively, but he didn't seem to care. He was gazing for what seemed like forever but not at anything in particular. His mother adored this pond of theirs. Everyday, she would walk by and admire the scenery before continuing her daily routine. But now, she no longer did that. She passed away suddenly. At the tender age of 8, he had now lost both parents. His father died when he a baby so had no recollection of him. Ever since then it had been only him and his beloved mother. Now, he was standing there by her favourite feature of the mansion... alone. After his loss, he spent everyday at the pond. It seemed to resemble her. If he was close to the pond he was also close to her; like he still had some sort of connection to her.

Oka-san, I miss you very much

'Byakuya!' she yelled whilst running towards him. Yet, he didn't even flinch at the sudden sound.

'There you are,' she paused to catch her breath back from the light sprint. 'We were waiting for you. Why didn't you show up for class again?'

'I wanted to be alone,' he said in hope that Rukia would take the hint and move on.

Rukia's lips twitched finding it difficult to find the right words.

What should I say?

At times like these she wished she had the words of wisdom of an intellect or perhaps the satirical humour of a comedian to relieve great pain. To see anyone struggling with bereavement made her feel so helpless, let alone a friend.

She tugged lightly at his sleeve noticing he was still wearing his funeral robes. 'Hey, why don't you come round ours? I got a new rabbit. She's really cute and adorable,' she beamed despite the lack of expression on Byakuya's face. She pulled on his robe once more to encourage him.

'You'll like her.'

He gently moved his hand away so the fabric slipped from her grasp. 'Maybe some other time...'

Still he was staring into nothingness. Never once did he look up to acknowledge. He wasn't spending time on his own. It seemed as though he was pushing everyone away from him. It annoyed Rukia a lot. He wasn't the only one who lost someone important. Byakuya's mother also took care of her too. And she lost her. But she didn't want to lose Byakuya too. She couldn't stand by while he continued to wallow in grief.

Overruled by her anger and frustration she picked up her fist and threw it into Byakuya's face. A red blur slowly etched on his face but all just stared at her with shock from the sudden violence.

'How much longer are you going to mope around like that?' Her hands began shaking from offending one of the most noble of purebloods. But she swallowed her fear.

'I totally sympathise you but it's been five months now. She wouldn't have wanted you to be like this.' Her voice calmed down a little; trying to coax him into believing her. He looked away from her but her words to awaken some other emotion.

'You don't know anything. It was all my fault.' He closed his eyes fighting back the memories and tears. 'Mother was only trying to save me... She...'

All the emotions locked within him in the past months began to leak out of him. As a member of the Kuchiki purebloods, his uncle ordered him not to show any weaknesses. This meant no crying especially in front of others. But, in this moment, nothing else mattered. Not being able to grief was like he was disregarding his mother.

Oka-san, why did you leave me?

Unsure what to do as he emptied his tears in her presence, she looked to the floor. 'Byakuya, she sacrificed herself so that you could live on. Don't blame yourself-'

'It should have been me who died! Oka-san...'

She widened her eyes. It was good that he was finally opening up to someone rather than be weighed down by all that grief welled up inside him. However, the loss was really taking a toll on him. He was beginning to hate himself.

Would he hate himself so much as to... do something stupid?

'Maybe if I took her place-'

Again, he found himself at the receiving end of Rukia's violence. This time she had shoved him into the pond; the symbol of his mother.

'What'd you do that for? You...' He guzzled some of the water whilst waving his arms in the air in order to latch onto something for support. He began a slight coughing fit but managed to stand in the shallows. He brushed his face with his hands, an attempt to stop the water from dripping in his eyes.

'Will you wake up already?' she bellowed. No, she didn't have soothing words. No, she didn't have jokes. All she had was fighting talk.

'Pull yourself, you idiot.' Byakuya looked up at her. For a small child, she had a big voice.

'You're Kuchiki Byakuya, for god's sake! You have the purest of pureblood. One day you're supposed to lead us. Look at the state of you now!'

She totally disregarded the evil stares he was giving her; the certainty of getting punished for her actions; that her words were hurting her friend. This was her only friend. She wouldn't know what to do if she lost him. It was important to pull him out this state, for his sake, for her sake.

'What will your mother think of you, hey?' she questioned hoping he could come to his senses soon.

Oka-san

Byakuya widened his eyes. Finding the atmosphere a little awkward, he looked to the side. In spite of her aggressive treatment, she was right. His mother would have wanted to see him become the leader of all vampires; all purebloods. Years, she spent educating him, nurturing him, shaping him to be the powerful being he was destined to become. Instead, he was acting like a lost puppy. He lost all focus, control and faith. That was not the son he was. It slowly became clearer for him. From today onwards, he would pick himself back up and prove that his mother did not die in vain. She had to protect him because he was weak. If he did not want anyone else he held important to die because of him he would have to become stronger.

Slowly he held out his palm to Rukia. His eyes no longer filled with anger or sadness. A weak smile appeared on his face appreciating her efforts.

'Could you lend me a hand?' he asked so he could reach out of the pond.

She smiled and washed over in relief. The old Byakuya she knew was gradually returning. She placed her hand into his hold but he immediately tugged her down into the waters. She fell head first into the shallows where it was slightly muddy. Her entire body was wet. After trying to comfort him he tricked her in order to carry out his revenge. That made her incredibly furious.

'You ungrateful cry baby!'

A small giggle emerged from Byakuya. She turned over to sit up straight and raised an eyebrow, enraged further. 'What's so funny?'

Her face was splattered with mud. Some of the water grass managed to tangle its' way through her hair. Perhaps the most amusing thing was seeing her with slugs sitting on her head and clothes. It made him laugher harder.

'Why you...!'

Completely irritated by his mockery she stood up to splash handfuls of water his way. He began to enjoy annoying her. It made him laugh and soon he returned the favour. They continued their water fight as the slight tension faded and all you could hear were fits of laughter. Both enjoyed the company of one another. It seemed like it was a millennia ago when he genuinely felt happy.

Byakuya forgot his grief. This idiot who physically abused him, ruined his clothes, spoke of his beloved mother so casually, did all of the above only to take his mind off his loss. She was very brave, like none other.

Thank you, Rukia. You brought me back from the depths of despair and brought me joy. You allowed me to smile again...

Byakuya smiled as he recalled the past, the day that he and Rukia established a true bond. It was a genuine bond unlike the those which other females claimed to have with him. Rukia was most definitely unique. His smile widened without him realising it. Looking to his side, he noticed the small snowflake motif on the door he stood next to. Subconsciously, he had walked past his own room and found his way to Rukia's room.

I doubt she's awake at this time of night...

Having made up his mind to speak to her the next day instead he moved a little away from her bedroom door. Then he heard a muffled sound behind the oak door. It was hard to tell what it actually was which sparked the curiosity within him. His fingers lifted towards the door knob.

'Do refrain from going any further.'

The hallway was only lit by a few dimmed light bulbs scattered widely apart but Ulquiorra was clearly making his way down towards Byakuya. He was powerful enough to mask his presence like all purebloods.

'I was just going to check on how she's recovering,' Byakuya offered. He removed his hand from the handle but remained standing by the door.

'She's fine. Let her sleep without disturbance.'

For a moment, the two purebloods remained still and just stared at each other. There was so much tension in the air even the lights began to flicker. It was almost as if their inner powers were conflicting with one another. But none of their facial expressions gave away their inner thoughts. Both were strong purebloods but fighting amongst each other was not allowed. If found out and there wasn't a reasonable explanation, Aizen would not be happy. And no one wanted to experience Aizen's wrath.

Byakuya looked over to Rukia's room once again. He could not hear anything else from within nor could he sense any foreign presence. He turned round and began to walk back to his room without paying any attention to Ulquiorra.

Although Byakuya retreated back to his own room Ulquiorra still remained outside Rukia's room. Quietly, he leant on the door and folded his arms. No one could enter or leave without his permission.

I'll swear to devote my entire life to guard you, Rukia.

He closed his eyes determined to spend the entire night there.

Sweet dreams, Rukia.

'Kaien-sensei!'

Rukia gasped and jerked awake. She had another one of her nightmares. The same one had haunted her every night for the past month. Images of him being attacked and finally being stabbed in the heart kept reoccurring ever since she heard of his death.

Her tears began again. It pained her. The teacher who educated her for many years, who sparred with her on numerous occasions, who treated her kindly throughout had left her without warning. Her grief drove her to isolation. When the pain was at its' worst she would turn to alcohol hoping it would dull the pain but sending her further into depression instead.

Eventually, she stopped crying and wiped away her tears. It was enough. She had done enough crying. It was not in her nature to continue sitting round doing nothing. Pushing her bed covers and all the doubts away from her, she rose to her feet.

Some voices came from behind the door but Rukia ignored them all. She collected her sword from her night table and without a moment's hesitation she ran out of her room and leapt off the balcony. Her eyes were held shut as she plummeted down from the five-storey castle. At the last possible moment, timing it to perfection, she executed a forward somersault before landing in a kneeling position at the bottom of the castle. She opened her violet eyes shining brightly under the moons' reflection ready with her resolve.

'Kaien-sensei, I will avenge you...'

Yeah, I know, it's another slow chapter. But I thought it was important to inject a bit of realism and explain why Byakuya seems to treat Rukia differently when he can pick and choose other women.

I found 2 different spellings for Ulquiorra's last name and weren't which one was right so apologies if it's incorrect.

Anyways, it's my first fanfic so welcome all reviews. Please be gentle... Ja